Cocoa powder is known in the art as the product prepared from cacao nibs, which have been dried and ground after the extraction of cocoa butter. A starting material in the preparation of cocoa powder is cocoa beans which are fermented, dried, roasted and cracked. The nibs—the center of the cocoa bean—are ground into a dark brown paste known as cocoa liquor. This paste is pressed into cocoa cakes by removing most of the cocoa butter. The hard cocoa cakes are ground into cocoa powder. Depending on the amount of cocoa butter earlier removed, the fat content of cocoa powder can be adjusted.
Cocoa powder is used in the preparation of food stuffs such as baked products, beverages, and confectionary. One major use, for example, is in beverages including drinking chocolate, chocolate-flavored milk, and instant drinks from vending machines and other sources. In these applications, ideally the powder should instantly disperse when mixed with a cold aqueous medium such as milk or water. However, cocoa powder is not easily wetted which can impede dispersion and result in lumping. The difficulty is exacerbated if the powder contains fat, such as residual cocoa butter, or if the dispersion is to take place in a cold liquid.
Therefore, processes have been developed for extracting only the soluble elements from the powder. Examples of processes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,659 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,554 which use organic treatment or enzymes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,659 for instance describes a process for producing a chocolate-flavored beverage which comprises the steps of 1) extracting cocoa with water at a temperature of below 80° C., 2) heating the extract to a temperature between 110 and 130° C., 3) subsequent cooling to 20 to 5° C. in order to precipitate insoluble substances, and 4) separating insoluble substances and sterilizing the beverage. The process includes the addition of a starch-degrading enzyme to the cocoa-water mixture in order to increase the yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,554 discloses a process for producing a soluble cocoa product wherein cocoa powder is subjected to an extraction with alcohol, and from the residue a water extract is prepared. The residue of the alcohol extraction can be subjected to an enzyme treatment in order to increase the subsequent water extraction. This water extract is concentrated to a soluble cocoa product.
A problem with these methods is the large amount of insoluble material still remaining after extraction and a poor taste. Commonly 75% of cocoa powder is found insoluble in water, meaning only 25% of cocoa powder is found as useful soluble components. After enzymatic treatment, the amount of soluble material of the cocoa powder can be increased to about 40%, meaning 40% of the initial cocoa powder is obtained as useful soluble components. However, this remains insufficient for certain applications. Furthermore, the use of organic solvents described in prior art techniques may change the properties and natural taste of the resulting soluble cocoa.
The invention relates to a method for increasing solubilisation of cocoa powder and thus for increasing the amount of soluble cocoa components in a cocoa powder. More in particular, the present invention aims to increase the amount of soluble cocoa components that can be obtained or extracted from a cocoa powder. The present invention also aims to reduce the amount of insoluble material that remains after extraction from cocoa powder. The present invention also aims to provide a more efficient method to render cocoa powder more water soluble.
The present invention further aims to provide cocoa powder having improved solubility together with excellent organoleptic properties and excellent properties, including elevated protein content, a lower theobromine and/or a lower caffeine content relevant for various applications.